It is known that pickup trucks and other related vehicles have a rear window, or backlite, that is mounted in the vehicle body opening, often immediately behind seats in the vehicle passenger compartment. Typically, such backlites are supplied to vehicle manufacturers as a one piece or as a stand-alone frame assembly for installation in new vehicles being manufactured on an assembly line.
In some of these vehicles, the backlite is provided with a sliding panel mechanism and a seal system (commonly known as a slider), which opens and closes over an opening in the backlite, so as to allow, for example, outside air to enter the vehicle compartment and to allow for passing of objects through the backlite opening. Sliders, in which a sliding panel moves in either a horizontal direction or a vertical direction, typically comprise at least one sliding panel that utilizes, for example, frame channels, rails, or tracks to facilitate sliding motion. In addition, a frame, with an attached seal(s), acts to seal out moisture and noise from entering the vehicle compartment at the periphery of the backlite.
It is common for the stand-alone backlite assembly to be molded and subsequently mounted into the vehicle body opening in the vehicle body frame, where the backlite assembly is secured to the vehicle body opening with adhesives and/or mechanical fastening devices, for example, studs. A urethane adhesive is frequently used in backlite applications, such adhesive being applied to a mounting surface of the vehicle body opening and/or the backlite assembly, prior to the moment at which these two structures are brought into bonding contact.
In addition to the slider panel, some of the vertical slider assemblies have two fixed panels (hence, they are known as partial sliders), which typically are positioned on either side of the backlite opening. Each fixed panel has a substantially vertically oriented panel edge, on which a vertical track and/or division post are often disposed.
Typically, for the horizontal sliders, the backlite opening is further defined by an upper header member and a lower beltline support member. In addition, for the horizontal sliders, the slider panel is typically moved in a horizontal direction behind one or both of the fixed panels that span the vehicle opening (along horizontal tracks that are commonly disposed on or near the fixed panels) and then, is moved to cover the backlite opening. These movements of the sliding panel may be provided by manual or electromechanical means.
Some slider assemblies are further designated as being flush where the sliding panel is in the plane of the fixed panel(s) when the sliding panel completely closes the backlite opening, or the complete window assembly may be in the plane of a vehicle body panel. Various ways to achieve flush orientation to fixed panels are, for example, by utilizing guide pins, ramps, and cams to move the sliding panel into the backlite opening.
Further, it is common for most slider assemblies to allow moisture to enter a vehicle compartment, but, on the other hand, it is difficult to remove the moisture from within the passenger compartment near the lower interior portion of the slider assembly, below the backlite opening. This accumulated moisture may be the result of evaporation and/or thawing of water/frost/ice on the interior of the window panels, or moisture may enter the vehicle compartment through the backlite opening by seeping between the panels when the sliding panel completely covers the backlite opening or when the slider panel is partially opened over the backlite opening. Thus, it is best to remove such accumulated moisture in order to prevent corrosion or other moisture-related damage in the interior of the passenger compartment.
However, for a variety of reasons, the necessary removal of moisture has not always been handled in a systematic and an aesthetically pleasing manner. Hence, a better means of moisture removal for a vehicle slider is sought that provides reliable, unencumbered drainage of moisture from a vehicle near the lower interior of the slider assembly at the backlite opening, to the exterior of the vehicle. In addition, the drainage of moisture should be accomplished in a systematic and an aesthetically pleasing manner.